Tinker:
What secret! There is no secrets coming out of Washington DC because everyone has known that for over two hundred years now that Washington DC is a corrupt system of government running America.
The people that the American citizens elect into the federal government offices of Washington DC is screwing over the American people every day all day long the Washington DC way, what secret?
What secret! There is no secrets coming out of Washington DC because everyone has known that for over two hundred years now that Washington DC is a corrupt system of government running America.
The people that the American citizens elect into the federal government offices of Washington DC is screwing over the American people every day all day long the Washington DC way, what secret?
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http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-
That total included $4 million for an August 2010 conference in Anaheim, Calif., for which the agency did not negotiate lower room rates, even though that is standard government practice, according to a statement by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Instead, some of the 2,600 attendees received benefits, including staying in expensive presidential suites. In addition, 15 outside speakers were paid a total of $135,000 in fees, with one paid $17,000 to talk about "leadership through art," the House committee said.
The report by Treasury Department's inspector general, set to be released Tuesday, comes as the IRS already is facing bipartisan criticism after agency officials disclosed they had targeted tea party and other conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status to extra scrutiny.
On Friday, the new acting commissioner, Danny Werfel, released a statement on the forthcoming report criticizing the Anaheim meeting.
"This conference is an unfortunate vestige from a prior era," Werfel said. "While there were legitimate reasons for holding the meeting, many of the expenses associated with it were inappropriate and should not have occurred."
Werfel, a former official at the White House Office of Management and Budget, said reducing excessive personal travel has been "a personal priority for me" and that "taxpayers should take comfort that a conference like this would not take place today." Read more.http://www.cbsnews.com/
----------------
http://apnews.myway.com/
By JACK GILLUM Washington(AP)- Some of President Barack Obama's political appointees, including the Cabinet secretary for the Health and Human Services Department, are using secret government email accounts they say are necessary to prevent their inboxes from being overwhelmed with unwanted messages, according to a review by The Associated Press.
The scope of using the secret accounts across government remains a mystery: Most U.S. agencies have failed to turn over lists of political appointees' email addresses, which the AP sought under the Freedom of Information Act more than three months ago. The Labor Department initially asked the AP to pay more than $1 million for its email addresses.
The AP asked for the addresses following last year's disclosures that the former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency had used separate email accounts at work. The practice is separate from officials who use personal, non-government email accounts for work, which generally is discouraged - but often happens anyway - due to laws requiring that most federal records be preserved.
The secret email accounts complicate an agency's legal responsibilities to find and turn over emails in response to congressional or internal investigations, civil lawsuits or public records requests because employees assigned to compile such responses would necessarily need to know about the accounts to search them. Secret accounts also drive perceptions that government officials are trying to hide actions or decisions.
"What happens when that person doesn't work there anymore? He leaves and someone makes a request (to review emails) in two years," said Kel McClanahan, executive director of National Security Counselors, an open government group. "Who's going to know to search the other accounts? You would hope that agencies doing this would keep a list of aliases in a desk drawer, but you know that isn't happening."
Agencies where the AP so far has identified secret addresses, including the Labor Department and HHS, said maintaining non-public email accounts allows senior officials to keep separate their internal messages with agency employees from emails they exchange with the public. They also said public and non-public accounts are always searched in response to official requests and the records are provided as necessary. Read more...http://apnews.myway.
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http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_
Osman Orsal / Reuters, file
Endlessly shared on social media and replicated as a cartoon on posters and stickers, the image of the "woman in red" has become the leitmotif for female protesters during days of violent anti-government demonstrations in Istanbul.
"That photo encapsulates the essence of this protest," said math student Esra at Besiktas, near the Bosphorus strait and one of the centres of this week's protests. "The violence of the police against peaceful protesters, people just trying to protect themselves and what they value." Read more...http://worldnews.
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http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_
Reuters
A U.N. commission report called on the international community to restrict arms transfers to the country, saying it would only worsen a conflict that has hit “new levels of cruelty and brutality.”
Underlining the U.N. report, France said on Tuesday it was certain that the nerve agent sarin had been used in Syria on several occasions following tests it carried out on samples recovered from the country.
"These tests show the presence of sarin in various samples in our possession," Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement, adding that the test results had been handed to the United Nations. "France is certain that sarin gas was used several times in Syria in limited areas." Read more...http://worldnews.
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Sports
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LSU vs Oklahoma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
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http://www.tigerrag.com/?p=
By CODY WORSHAM
Tiger Rag Editor
Cody Glenn has served his time.
After head coach Paul Mainieri suspended his sophomore starting pitcher for last weekend’s Baton Rouge regional for a violation of team rules, Glenn is back in the LSU active roster.
Glenn, who is 7-2 with a 2.41 ERA in 14 starts this season, will be in the Tigers’ 27-man roster for this weekend’s Super Regional vs. Oklahoma in Baton Rouge.
“Cody has been returned to active status on our roster, and he will be eligible to participate in the Super Regional,” Mainieri said. “He delivered a sincere apology to his teammates, and they voted unanimously to have him back with us. We’ll move forward with Cody as a part of our team and turn our attention toward Oklahoma.”
Without Glenn, LSU won all three of its games in the Baton Rouge regional over the weekend, defeating Jackson State, Sam Houston State, and ULL to advance. Senior lefty Brent Bonvillain got the start in Sunday’s title game against ULL in Glenn’s place, allowing just one run on three hits in 5.1 innings pitched.
One Response to “Glenn returned to active status”
Tinker: on June 4th, 2013 4:46 pm:
The game starts Friday 7;00 PM CST LSU vs Oklahoma Alex ox Stadium ESPN TV
No grass, no beer, no cigarettes, just give this LSU baseball team their raw egg and milk because this LSU baseball team is going straight ahead...http://www.youtube.com/
--------
http://www.andthevalleyshook.
SB Nation
Gabe Northern of LSU during the Tigers
42-18 loss to the University of Florida at Florida Field in Gainesville,
Florida, 8 Oct 1994 Mandatory Credit: Scott Halleran/ALLSPORT image via
LIFE
One of the
few good things about the Curley Hallman era at LSU is that it made you
appreciate truly great players, because those players were so rare.
It's easy to play hard and give it all for a great team like the current
Tigers, because if you sacrifice your individual goals, you really will
likely accomplish those team goals. Not so back in the dark days of
this program.
That's part of what made Gabe Northern so special. He played hard every single down of every single game, giving it all for a program, frankly, that didn't seem to be going anywhere. We can fawn over the highlights of our current defense, but the measuring stick is still Northern hitting Stephen Davis so hard that Davis' helmet popped off a rolled down field.
Northern's name still sits near the top of the LSU record book. He's in the top ten in most sacks in a season (twice actually) and holds the LSU record for most tackles for a loss in a season with 23. Northern was a vicious player who hit with such force and violence, you thought his victim would never get up.
Yet off the field, Gabe Northern refused to be defined as a man of violence. He made his name by hitting people, and getting cheered for it. He'd later get paid for it. But violence does not make a man. Gabe Northern knew that and used his high profile to redefine masculinity on campus.
Gabe Northern isn't just a member of the SEC's 1990's All-Decade Team. More importantly, he is one of the founding members of LSU's Men Against Violence club. Men Against Violence sponsors the annual Take Back the Night vigil on LSU's campus, living on long past Northern left campus.
MAV stands up to speak out against violence perpetrated by men, particularly violence against women. The group's goals are to (1) promote awareness about the prevalence and causes of violence on campus; (2) engage in community action to reduce violence on campus through policy revision and cultural change; (3) educate others on how to prevent violence; and (4) provide intervention and support for survivors of violence.
He didn't just leave a football legacy at LSU, Northern left behind an organization devoted to making LSU a better place. He used his celebrity not to see what he could get out of the world, but how he could improve it.
Gabe Northern made his name at LSU through the controlled violence of football. But he refused to let violence define him as a person. He graduated not only as one of the all-time Tiger greats on the field, owning his share of LSU records, but as a man who made LSU a better place.
That, my friends, is a legacy to be proud of.
To see the rest of the Buick Human Highlight Reel, go to www.NCAA.com/Buick.
--------------
http://www.philsteele.com/
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-
House oversight panel: Watchdog report shows excessive IRS conference spending
WASHINGTON A government watchdog has found that the Internal Revenue Service spent about $50 million to hold at least 220 conferences for employees between 2010 and 2012, according to a House committee.That total included $4 million for an August 2010 conference in Anaheim, Calif., for which the agency did not negotiate lower room rates, even though that is standard government practice, according to a statement by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Instead, some of the 2,600 attendees received benefits, including staying in expensive presidential suites. In addition, 15 outside speakers were paid a total of $135,000 in fees, with one paid $17,000 to talk about "leadership through art," the House committee said.
The report by Treasury Department's inspector general, set to be released Tuesday, comes as the IRS already is facing bipartisan criticism after agency officials disclosed they had targeted tea party and other conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status to extra scrutiny.
- Rep. Issa claims IRS targeting scandal originated in D.C.
- Another taxpayer-financed IRS video surfaces
On Friday, the new acting commissioner, Danny Werfel, released a statement on the forthcoming report criticizing the Anaheim meeting.
"This conference is an unfortunate vestige from a prior era," Werfel said. "While there were legitimate reasons for holding the meeting, many of the expenses associated with it were inappropriate and should not have occurred."
Werfel, a former official at the White House Office of Management and Budget, said reducing excessive personal travel has been "a personal priority for me" and that "taxpayers should take comfort that a conference like this would not take place today." Read more.http://www.cbsnews.com/
----------------
http://apnews.myway.com/
Emails of top Obama appointees remain a mystery
By JACK GILLUM Washington(AP)- Some of President Barack Obama's political appointees, including the Cabinet secretary for the Health and Human Services Department, are using secret government email accounts they say are necessary to prevent their inboxes from being overwhelmed with unwanted messages, according to a review by The Associated Press.
The scope of using the secret accounts across government remains a mystery: Most U.S. agencies have failed to turn over lists of political appointees' email addresses, which the AP sought under the Freedom of Information Act more than three months ago. The Labor Department initially asked the AP to pay more than $1 million for its email addresses.
The AP asked for the addresses following last year's disclosures that the former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency had used separate email accounts at work. The practice is separate from officials who use personal, non-government email accounts for work, which generally is discouraged - but often happens anyway - due to laws requiring that most federal records be preserved.
The secret email accounts complicate an agency's legal responsibilities to find and turn over emails in response to congressional or internal investigations, civil lawsuits or public records requests because employees assigned to compile such responses would necessarily need to know about the accounts to search them. Secret accounts also drive perceptions that government officials are trying to hide actions or decisions.
"What happens when that person doesn't work there anymore? He leaves and someone makes a request (to review emails) in two years," said Kel McClanahan, executive director of National Security Counselors, an open government group. "Who's going to know to search the other accounts? You would hope that agencies doing this would keep a list of aliases in a desk drawer, but you know that isn't happening."
Agencies where the AP so far has identified secret addresses, including the Labor Department and HHS, said maintaining non-public email accounts allows senior officials to keep separate their internal messages with agency employees from emails they exchange with the public. They also said public and non-public accounts are always searched in response to official requests and the records are provided as necessary. Read more...http://apnews.myway.
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http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_
'Woman in red' sprayed with teargas becomes symbol of Turkey protests
Osman Orsal / Reuters, file
A
Turkish riot policeman uses tear gas on a woman in a red dress as
people protest against the destruction of trees in a park in Istanbul on
May 28.
By Alexandra Hudson, Reuters
ISTANBUL
- In her red cotton summer dress, necklace and white bag slung over her
shoulder she might have been floating across the lawn at a garden
party; but before her crouches a masked policeman firing teargas spray
that sends her long hair billowing upwards.Endlessly shared on social media and replicated as a cartoon on posters and stickers, the image of the "woman in red" has become the leitmotif for female protesters during days of violent anti-government demonstrations in Istanbul.
"That photo encapsulates the essence of this protest," said math student Esra at Besiktas, near the Bosphorus strait and one of the centres of this week's protests. "The violence of the police against peaceful protesters, people just trying to protect themselves and what they value." Read more...http://worldnews.
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http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_
Putin defends missiles for Syria, hours after UN report warns against 'escalation'
Reuters
People flee fighting on a Syrian street on May 18. A new UN report cites systematic war crimes.
By John Newland, Staff Writer, NBC News
Russian
President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday defended his plan to supply
missiles to Syria’s government, hours after the United Nations urged
against all weapons transfers to the war-torn country.A U.N. commission report called on the international community to restrict arms transfers to the country, saying it would only worsen a conflict that has hit “new levels of cruelty and brutality.”
Underlining the U.N. report, France said on Tuesday it was certain that the nerve agent sarin had been used in Syria on several occasions following tests it carried out on samples recovered from the country.
"These tests show the presence of sarin in various samples in our possession," Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement, adding that the test results had been handed to the United Nations. "France is certain that sarin gas was used several times in Syria in limited areas." Read more...http://worldnews.
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Sports
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LSU vs Oklahoma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Europe - The Final Countdown(with lyrics)
http://www.tigerrag.com/?p=
Glenn returned to active status
June 3, 2013 - © 2013 Tiger Rag|
Teammates unanimously vote for sophomore pitcher’s reactivation
By CODY WORSHAM
Tiger Rag Editor
Cody Glenn has served his time.
After head coach Paul Mainieri suspended his sophomore starting pitcher for last weekend’s Baton Rouge regional for a violation of team rules, Glenn is back in the LSU active roster.
Glenn, who is 7-2 with a 2.41 ERA in 14 starts this season, will be in the Tigers’ 27-man roster for this weekend’s Super Regional vs. Oklahoma in Baton Rouge.
“Cody has been returned to active status on our roster, and he will be eligible to participate in the Super Regional,” Mainieri said. “He delivered a sincere apology to his teammates, and they voted unanimously to have him back with us. We’ll move forward with Cody as a part of our team and turn our attention toward Oklahoma.”
Without Glenn, LSU won all three of its games in the Baton Rouge regional over the weekend, defeating Jackson State, Sam Houston State, and ULL to advance. Senior lefty Brent Bonvillain got the start in Sunday’s title game against ULL in Glenn’s place, allowing just one run on three hits in 5.1 innings pitched.
Comments
One Response to “Glenn returned to active status”
- TigerGumbo on June 4th, 2013 3:46 pm:
- The heat is on now so any delay of one of the tiger family fold, stopping to relax with something else, will simply be left on the side of the road that this Lsu baseball team leave. Because this LSU baseball team is fighting whoever is in front of them, between them and Omaha...http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=1-mU-YSk32I&list= PL033F657352C97939
Tinker: on June 4th, 2013 4:46 pm:
The game starts Friday 7;00 PM CST LSU vs Oklahoma Alex ox Stadium ESPN TV
No grass, no beer, no cigarettes, just give this LSU baseball team their raw egg and milk because this LSU baseball team is going straight ahead...http://www.youtube.com/
--------
http://www.andthevalleyshook.
SB Nation
Gabe Northern, Louisiana State University
By Poseur on Oct 13 2011, 9:32p @ATVSPoseur 8
Stay connected
for news and updates
Gabe Northern of LSU during the Tigers
42-18 loss to the University of Florida at Florida Field in Gainesville,
Florida, 8 Oct 1994 Mandatory Credit: Scott Halleran/ALLSPORT image via
LIFE That's part of what made Gabe Northern so special. He played hard every single down of every single game, giving it all for a program, frankly, that didn't seem to be going anywhere. We can fawn over the highlights of our current defense, but the measuring stick is still Northern hitting Stephen Davis so hard that Davis' helmet popped off a rolled down field.
Northern's name still sits near the top of the LSU record book. He's in the top ten in most sacks in a season (twice actually) and holds the LSU record for most tackles for a loss in a season with 23. Northern was a vicious player who hit with such force and violence, you thought his victim would never get up.
Yet off the field, Gabe Northern refused to be defined as a man of violence. He made his name by hitting people, and getting cheered for it. He'd later get paid for it. But violence does not make a man. Gabe Northern knew that and used his high profile to redefine masculinity on campus.
Gabe Northern isn't just a member of the SEC's 1990's All-Decade Team. More importantly, he is one of the founding members of LSU's Men Against Violence club. Men Against Violence sponsors the annual Take Back the Night vigil on LSU's campus, living on long past Northern left campus.
MAV stands up to speak out against violence perpetrated by men, particularly violence against women. The group's goals are to (1) promote awareness about the prevalence and causes of violence on campus; (2) engage in community action to reduce violence on campus through policy revision and cultural change; (3) educate others on how to prevent violence; and (4) provide intervention and support for survivors of violence.
He didn't just leave a football legacy at LSU, Northern left behind an organization devoted to making LSU a better place. He used his celebrity not to see what he could get out of the world, but how he could improve it.
Gabe Northern made his name at LSU through the controlled violence of football. But he refused to let violence define him as a person. He graduated not only as one of the all-time Tiger greats on the field, owning his share of LSU records, but as a man who made LSU a better place.
That, my friends, is a legacy to be proud of.
To see the rest of the Buick Human Highlight Reel, go to www.NCAA.com/Buick.
--------------
http://www.philsteele.com/
Phil Steel
College
Footall
previeu
| Daily Blog •April 6, 2013 |
|---|
I will mention it now and I will mention it numerous times throughout today’s blog that this is NOT MY preseason Top 26 for next year, it is where I project the AP Top 26 to come out at the start of the season. I have also strategically projected 26 teams and not 25 because I feel one of the bottom 3-4 teams could slip due to injuries, suspensions, transfers or preseason magazine projections.
Most AP voters usually look at a couple of criteria when they evaluate a team for the upcoming season. First they look at the number of returning starters that the team has coming back particularly at the offensive skill positions. A team that returns its starting QB and a combination of its RB and WR’s is often times more highly thought of than a team that loses its starting QB but returns its entire offensive line. Similarly a team that returns most of its starters on offense but loses a lot of its defensive playmakers usually is more highly thought of than a team that returns a majority of its defensive starters but loses its skill position players on offense.
Another factor that is heavily weighted is the performance of the team in the bowl game, which undoubtedly is the lasting image of that team in the off-season. A team coming off a huge bowl win usually is more highly thought of than a team that is coming off a bowl loss regardless of what their schedule looks like for the upcoming season.
Using these criteria and a few more, I project the preseason AP Top 10 every year at the conclusion of the previous season, which in most cases is nearly six months in advance. Now as you all know, a lot can happen from now to August including injuries, suspensions, transfers, etc. If you want to see how I have performed with my Top 10 projections refer to my February 5 blog. Also it should be noted that a couple of teams have been moved up or down to reflect what has happened since that last blog, which includes national signing day.
Now let’s take a look at this year’s projected Preseason AP Top 26 and keep in mind again these are NOT MY preseason Top 26 teams!
Projected Preseason AP Top 26
No. 26 Kansas St-No
coach has gotten more out of his team the last two years than Bill
Snyder as the Wildcats are off back-to-back double digit win seasons.
This year they do lose their all-everything quarterback in Collin Klein,
but do return 8 starters on the offensive side of the ball including
their top rusher John Hubert. On defense, they return just 2 starters,
but as usual coach Snyder has brought in some JUCO’s to fill in the gap
as he has had great success with that formula throughout his storied
career. The schedule does have them traveling to Texas and Oklahoma St
early, but they do have 5 Big 12 home games (4 away), which includes
Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma. 
No. 25 USC-No
team underachieved more last season than USC, who became the first team
ever to go from preseason AP No. 1 to unranked by the end of the
season. However, this year the Trojans welcome back 15 returning
starters including their leading rusher Silas Redd and the nation’s best
WR in Marqise Lee. On defense, they return 5 of their top 5 leading
tacklers and the schedule has them playing 5 Pac-12 home games (just 4
away) and they avoid Oregon from the Pac-12 North while playing both
Stanford and UCLA at home. 
No. 24 Wisconsin-The
Badgers may have lost their head coach and the NCAA’s career-leader in
touchdowns (running back Montee Ball) but they do return 15 starters
from a program that has made 3 straight Rose Bowl appearances. They
return all of their QB’s from a year ago, have James White and Melvin
Gordon at running back (1,427 rush yds combined LY) along with their
leading receiver Jared Abbrederis. On defense, they return linebacker
Chris Borland and the schedule also gets easier as they avoid Nebraska,
Michigan and Michigan St from the Legends division.
No. 23 UCLA-Jim
Mora, Jr revitalized the Bruins last year as they won the Pac-12 South
and had their most wins since 2005. This year they return 13 starters
including quarterback Brett Hundley and their leading receiver. While
they do lose RB Franklin, their defense returns three of its top 4
players and Mora, Jr. brings in my #10 recruiting class. The schedule is
difficult as they play Nebraska, Stanford, Oregon and USC all on the
road but there currently are 7 FBS head coaches that came from the NFL
in June Jones, Mike Riley, Steve Spurrier, Nick Saban, Bobby Petrino and
Lane Kiffin and ALL of them improved their record in year 2. Will Mora
do the same?
No. 22 Oklahoma St-After
their most successful run in school history (23-3 in 2010-’11), the
Cowboys fell back to 8-5 last season. Much of that was due to injuries
and consistency from the quarterback position as head coach Mike Gundy
had to play three different quarterbacks. This year they return 15
starters including all three of their starting quarterbacks and also
their top 3 receivers from a team that crushed Purdue 58-14 in the bowl
game. While they do have to travel to Texas, they get Kansas St, TCU,
Baylor and the Bedlam game against Oklahoma all at home and could find
themselves as one of the Big 12 favorites. 
No. 21 Oregon St-Mike
Riley is one of the most underrated head coaches in the country as he
routinely outperforms my expectations including last year as the Beavers
off a 3-9 season rebounded to go 9-4. This year they return 15 starters
including both quarterbacks, their top 3 rushers, 5 of their top 6
receivers and their top 5 tacklers on defense. The schedule has them
pulling USC from the Pac-12 South but they get the Trojans at home while
also hosting both Stanford and Washington from the North as they try to
revenge a pair of close losses from a year ago.
No. 20 Northwestern-Last
year the Wildcats were just 5 minutes and 3 seconds away from going
unbeaten as they led in the fourth quarter of all 13 of their games.
They still finished with 10 wins (most s/’95) and finally broke their
long bowl drought (s/’48) with an impressive win over Mississippi St in
the Gator Bowl. This year they return 15 starters including their top 2
quarterbacks, top 3 rushers and top 3 receivers. The schedule does get
more difficult as each of the last two years they have avoided Ohio St
and Wisconsin from the Leaders division but this year they draw both the
Buckeyes and Badgers. 
No. 19 Michigan-Coming
off an 11-win season highlighted by a Sugar Bowl win in Brady Hoke’s
first year, expectations were high for the Wolverines in 2012 and while
they disappointed to an 8-5 finish, they did lose 4 games to Top 10
teams (Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio St and South Carolina) which all took
place away from home. This year there is no Alabama on the schedule in
non-conference play and they also get Notre Dame, Nebraska and Ohio St
all at home. They do return 12 starters, which is their fewest since
2008, but Brady Hoke has done very well stockpiling the talent including
bringing in my #5 Frosh class this year.
No. 18 Texas-It
certainly has been a disappointing last couple of seasons for the
Longhorns as after 9 straight seasons of finishing with 10 or more wins
(’01-’09), the Longhorns have failed to reach the 10-win plateau each of
the last three years. On the bright side, the Horns have been trending
back up after their 5-7 campaign in 2010 as they won 8 games in 2011 and
9 last year and this year they are one of the most experienced teams in
the country with 19 returning starters. They return both quarterbacks
with David Ash the clear starter, also return their top 4 rushers and 5
of their Top 6 tacklers and on defense get back DE Jackson Jeffcoat from
injury. The schedule is softer than a year ago as they host both Kansas
St and Oklahoma St. 
No. 17 Nebraska-The
Huskers have been consistent under Bo Pelini as they have won at least 9
games each of his five seasons but have also lost four games each of
those years as well. This year could be the year they finally break thru
as they return 8 starters on offense including quarterback Taylor
Martinez who returns for his 4th-year as the starter. The Achilles Heel
for the Huskers last year was a defense that allowed 27.6 ppg and they
return just 4 starters on that side of the ball this year. However,
their schedule is manageable as they avoid Ohio St and Wisconsin from
the Leaders division and also play their first five games at home. 
No. 16 Boise St-In
a clear rebuilding year last year with just 7 returning starters, the
Broncos still managed 11 wins, their 5th consecutive Top 25 finish and
also grabbed a share of the MW crown. This year they are more
experienced especially on the defensive side of the ball as they return
All-MW DE Demarcus Lawrence who had 9.5 sacks a year ago. The schedule
is difficult as they must play at Washington and at BYU in
non-conference play and also pull San Diego St and Fresno St (both on
the road) from the West Division in conference action. 
No. 15 TCU-Looking
at the surface, you may categorize TCU’s inaugural 7-6 campaign in the
Big 12 (worst record s/’04) as a disappointment but considering all of
the injuries, transfers and suspensions they had to deal with along with
the added strength of schedule jumping to a BCS conference, one could
argue it was one of Gary Patterson’s best coaching jobs. This year they
are much more experienced with 16 returning starters and will also
welcome back quarterback Casey Pachall, who is the career leader in pass
efficiency out of all of the quarterbacks in the NCAA. The schedule is
difficult starting with the opener against LSU in Dallas Cowboys
Stadium and they must also play at both Oklahoma and Oklahoma St. 
No. 14 Oklahoma-Even
after three straight double digit win seasons the Sooners could find
themselves with their lowest preseason AP rank since 2000 as they have
started in the Top 11 each of the last 12 years. Gone are four-year
starting quarterback Landry Jones and four of their top 5 tacklers
including All-American S Tony Jefferson. Blake Bell will take over for
Jones at quarterback after accounting for 24 rushing touchdowns in the
last two years in the “Belldozer” package but will have to prove that he
can be a weapon in the pass game as well. On the positive side, they
do return their top two rushers and their OL is in much better shape
than what it was a year ago. The Sooners do have a tough schedule as
they play Notre Dame, Texas, Baylor, Kansas St and Oklahoma St all away
from home. 
No. 13 Florida St-My
pick to win it all last year came within one fourth down stop away
against NC State (blew a 16-0 HT lead), of starting the season a perfect
11-0. Even with that disappointment, they still would go on to win 12
games and win the ACC Championship and the Orange Bowl. The Noles look
to continue their run back among college football’s elite but will have
to do so in 2013 without quarterback EJ Manuel who incredibly won four
bowl games as a starter. It looks like Clint Trickett, Jacob Coker and
Jameis Winston will battle it out to replace him but whoever the starter
is, they will be surrounded by plenty of skill position talent and will
be taking snaps behind one of the best offensive lines in college
football for 2013. On the other side of the ball, they lose several key
players from last year’s No. 2 total D including All-American DE Bjoern
Werner and lost DC Mark Stoops to Kentucky. Head coach Jimbo Fisher has
recruited well lately (3 straight Top 10 classes) so I don’t think the
cupboard is bare and the ACC Atlantic title will probably be decided
with a road trip to Clemson as the Noles avoid Virginia Tech and North
Carolina from the Coastal division. 
No. 12 LSU-Arguably
no one in recent history lost more production to the NFL Draft than the
Tigers who saw a record-11 players declare early. The losses are
massive especially on the defensive side of the ball, which will see the
loss of arguably its top 5 or 6 players. It starts with Barkevious
Mingo and Sam Montgomery at DE and continues with their best LB in Kevin
Minter followed by CB Tharold Simon and S Eric Reid. On offense,
quarterback Zach Mettenberger does get back his top two rushers and top
two receivers and the OL will have to do a much better job of protecting
him after allowing 32 sks (9.0%). The schedule is very difficult
starting with the opener against TCU in Arlington, which could be more
like an away game and they also pull Florida and Georgia out of the SEC
East. They do play Alabama and Texas A&M both in November but
conveniently get a bye week prior to both games.
No. 11 Clemson-I
agonized a couple of days between South Carolina, Louisville and
Clemson at the #9 and #10 spots but decided to go with the Gamecocks and
Cardinals. First, all three teams return their quarterbacks and many of
their key performers on defense. However, the tie-breaker to me came
down to schedule as South Carolina who has owned Clemson as of late,
gets the Tigers at home while Louisville on the other hand plays a
cakewalk schedule in non-conference and conference play and Clemson also
has to play Georgia in non-conference action. Still, the Tigers have
solidified themselves quite nicely the last few years under head coach
Dabo Swinney, They are off a 11-2 2012 campaign highlighted by their
comeback win over LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Quarterback Tajh Boyd
announced his return for his senior season and he will still have the
super talented Sammy Watkins to throw to. They did lose their other
outstanding wide receiver in DeAndre Hopkins who led the team with 1,405
yards and 18 td’s early to the NFL as well as running back Andre
Ellington who topped the 1,000 yard mark. Unlike their non-conference
schedule, they do catch some breaks as they get Florida St and Georgia
Tech at home and avoid North Carolina, Miami and Virginia Tech from the
Coastal division. 
No. 10 Louisville-Despite
playing in a non-power conference, the Cardinals clearly fit the mold
of a preseason AP Top 10 team. First, they return a Heisman Trophy
candidate at quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater who threw for 3,718 yards
with 27 touchdowns and 8 interceptions as a sophomore last year. In
addition to Bridgewater, they also return their top two rushers and top
four receivers from a year ago and their only significant loss on
defense was cornerback Adrian Bushell. Second, they are coming off an
impressive 33-23 Sugar Bowl win over SEC power Florida that had them
skyrocket to No. 13 in the final AP Poll. Finally they have arguably
the easiest schedule of all the 2013 contenders as their non-conference
schedule includes Ohio, Eastern Kentucky, Florida International and
Kentucky and play a Big East schedule that is basically a glorified CUSA
at this point. Add it all up and the Cardinals should be favored to win
all of their games in 2013.
No. 9 South Carolina-The
Gamecocks are off back-to-back 11-2 seasons finishing in the AP Top 10
each year despite losing star running back Marcus Lattimore to injury
mid-way thru both seasons. The future continues to look bright for the
Gamecocks as they return most of their key players including
quarterbacks Connor Shaw and Dylan Thompson along with their leading
receiver in Bruce Ellington. On defense, star defensive end Jadeveon
Clowney, who is arguably the best player in the country regardless of
position is back. The non-conference schedule is daunting, but both
North Carolina and Clemson have to travel to Columbia along with Florida
in conference play. The toughest road test is at Georgia on September 7
and they do avoid Alabama, Texas A&M and LSU from the SEC West. 
No. 8 Florida-While
the Gators did finish the season with a disappointing loss to
Louisville in the Sugar Bowl, it is hard to ignore their terrific
regular season, which featured four wins over teams that finished in the
final AP Top 15. The offense figures to be much improved with Jeff
Driskel back at quarterback. While the defense loses arguably its best
player at each level the good news is that Muschamp brought in my #4
recruiting classes to fill the void and don’t forget that defensive end
Ronald Powell will be back after missing all of last year with an ACL
injury. The schedule is brutal with non-conference games against Miami
and Florida State and they must travel to South Carolina and LSU in SEC
play.
No. 7 Notre Dame-Losing
42-14 in the BCS National Championship to Alabama probably knocked the
Irish from being in the 2013 preseason Top 5, but they still will return
14 starters including quarterback Everett Golson who figures to
continue to make significant progress in his second year as a starter.
While they lose their star on offense in tight end Tyler Eifert and
defense in linebacker Manti Te’o, the Irish look well-stocked on both
sides of the line of scrimmage as offensive tackle Zack Martin and nose
guard Louis Nix both announced their return along with defensive end
Stephon Tuitt who recorded 12 sacks a year ago. Like most years, the
schedule is tough with home games against Michigan State, Oklahoma and
USC along with road games at Michigan and Stanford, however, the Irish
beat all five of those teams last year and many felt they were a year
ahead of schedule in their 12-1 finish.
No. 6 Georgia-The
Bulldogs are a clear example of a team that fits my projected AP Top 10
criteria. First, they welcome back quarterback Aaron Murray who
announced his return for his fourth year as the starter after leading
the Bulldogs to a school-record 529 points in 2012. Georgia also returns
their dynamic duo of freshman running backs in Keith Marshall and Todd
Gurley along with several key receivers. They capped off their 11-2
season with a 45-31 win over Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl after
taking Alabama to the wire in the SEC Championship game. While the
defense will have to rebuild, an argument could be made that Georgia has
one of the best offenses in the country and it will need to be
effective early with matchups against Clemson, South Carolina and LSU
all coming in the first four games. 
No. 5 Texas A&M-No
team in the country may have ended the season on a hotter run than the
Aggies, who after their upset win at No. 1 Alabama in November, saw
their quarterback Johnny Manziel become the first freshman to take home
the Heisman Trophy and then followed it up by destroying Oklahoma 41-13
in the Cotton Bowl to finish No. 5 in the final AP Poll. In 2013, the
Aggies naturally bring back Manziel who accounted for an SEC-record
5,116 yards of total offense and their No. 2 rusher in Ben Malena along
with their leading receiver in Mike Evans. Offensive tackle Luke Joeckel
and defensive end Damontre Moore announced their early departure to the
draft but tackle Jake Matthews surprisingly announced his return and a
quick look at the schedule shows the Aggies avoiding Georgia, Florida
and South Carolina from the SEC East while they also get the defending
champs at home in week three.
No. 4 Stanford-After
an overtime loss at Notre Dame, the Cardinal won eight straight games
to close the season highlighted by their road win at No. 2 Oregon in
November and a 20-14 triumph over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. 2013 could
be the year the Cardinal take another step and not just make their 4th
straight BCS bowl, but finally play for the National Title as they
welcome back 15 starters including quarterback Kevin Hogan who was the
key in their win streak down the stretch. The defense should be one of
the best in the country as Trent Murphy, Ben Gardner and Shayne Skov all
announced their return for their senior seasons. The schedule has them
playing most of their key games at home including games against Arizona
State, Washington, UCLA, Oregon and Notre Dame while Oregon State and
USC are their toughest road games. The Cardinal have clearly survived
the losses of head coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback Andrew Luck and it
looks like David Shaw has this program here to stay among the nation’s
elite.
No. 3 Oregon-The
Ducks would have probably been a slam dunk for the No. 2 spot had head
coach Chip Kelly decide to stay in Eugene. Even with his departure, the
Ducks still look like one of the favorites in 2013 as they return
quarterback Marcus Mariota, who had an incredible 32-to-6
TD-to-interception ratio in his first season as a starter. While the
Ducks will clearly miss running back Kenjon Barner, who ran for 1,767
yards, but they do return the explosive De’Anthony Thomas along with
seven other starters from the top scoring offense in the NCAA. On
defense, they lose their top two tacklers in linebackers Michael Clay
and Kiko Alonso but despite another coaching change, defensive
coordinator Nick Aliotti will continue to lead the Ducks on that side of
the ball. The schedule is manageable as they avoid USC and Arizona
State and get UCLA at home from the Pac-12 South. For the fourth year in
a row, it looks like the Stanford game (November 7th in Palo Alto) will
be for the Pac-12 North Title and a win there could have the Ducks
playing for it all in 2013. 
No. 2 Ohio State-Despite
the NCAA probation, Urban Meyer’s first season in Columbus was a
smashing success finishing a perfect 12-0 and No. 3 in the final AP poll
and it looks like the Buckeyes will continue to ride that momentum into
2013. First, they welcome back quarterback Braxton Miller who figures
to be one of the Heisman favorites after a season in which he had 3,310
yards of total offense and will look to be improved in the passing game.
He will have plenty of talent surrounding him as No. 2 rusher Carlos
Hyde and their top two receivers Corey Brown and Devin Smith all return
along with key offensive lineman Andrew Norwell and Jack Mewhort. The
Buckeyes do have to replace their entire starting defensive line, but
Meyer has done a great job of recruiting at that position in his short
tenure while the D’s other stars in linebacker Ryan Shazier and
cornerback Bradley Roby should help fill the void as the young lineman
mature. The schedule clearly sets up for success as the non-conference
features Buffalo, San Diego State, California and Florida A&M while
in conference play they avoid both Nebraska and Michigan State while
hosting Wisconsin and Penn State. The two toughest hurdles look to be
road trips at Northwestern and at Michigan. 
No. 1 Alabama-How
do you top becoming just the second school since World War II to win
three National Titles in four years? How about by becoming the first
program ever to win four in five as the Crimson Tide clearly look poised
to do so in 2013. It starts with the return of quarterback AJ McCarron
who has played brilliantly in each of the last two National Championship
games and he is surrounded by some of the best skill position players
in the country in running back TJ Yeldon and wide receiver Amari Cooper.
The only question on offense is how they replace center Barrett Jones,
guard Chance Warmack and tackle DJ Fluker on the offensive line. The
defense also loses nose guard Jesse Williams, cornerback Dee Milliner
and safety Robert Lester but linebacker CJ Mosley shockingly announced
his return as the Tide just continue to reload on that side of the ball
after leading the nation in total and scoring defense each of the last
two years. The schedule also is manageable with an opener against
Virginia Tech in Atlanta followed by a bye week before the revenge game
against Texas A&M at Kyle Field. The rest of the schedule is a walk
in the park with key games against Ole Miss, Arkansas and Tennessee all
at home not to mention two weeks to prepare for a home game against LSU.
Add it all up and the Tide look just as strong if not stronger than
last year’s team.There you have it my projected AP Top 26 for this season. Don’t be surprised if you check back in early August four months from now and find that I hit all of the teams for a second straight year!
--------------
https://www.philsteele.com/
Phil Steel
College
Footall
previeu2013 Top 40 Countdown:
Tuesday, June 04, 2013#40 North Carolina |
#30 Washington |
#20 Wisconsin |
#10 Released June 8 |
#39 Kansas St |
#29 Oregon St |
#19 Oklahoma |
#9 Released June 10 |
#38 Marshall |
#28 Mississippi |
#8 Released June 11 |
|
#37 BYU |
#27 Arizona St |
#7 Released June 12 |
|
#36 Baylor |
#26 Northern Illinois |
#16 Released June 5 |
#6 Released June 13 |
#35 Tulsa |
#25 Miami, Fl |
#15 Released June 5 |
#5 Released June 14 |
#34 Penn St |
#24 Michigan |
#14 Released June 6 |
#4 Released June 15 |
#33 Boise St |
#23 Michigan St |
#13 Released June 6 |
#3 Released June 16 |
#32 Northwestern |
#22 Fresno St |
#12 Released June 7 |
#2 Released June 17 |
#31 UCLA |
#21 TCU |
#11 Released June 7 |
#1 Released June 18 |
http://lsufootball.net/
LSU Footall - Geaux Tigers!!!
| Phil Steele | .pdf Top 40 Countdown: No. 17 LSU |
| LSU Sports | Photo Gallery: Construction update, Tiger Stadium (6/3/2013) |
| Athlon Sports | SEC predictions, LSU No. 3 in the SEC West |
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